Tag: Ian Madigan

Ireland remain unbeaten in this year’s Six Nations after a gritty victory over a disappointing France in Dublin.

Man-of-the-match Jonathan Sexton, who had been out for three months with concussion, kicked four first-half penalties as Ireland led 12-6 at the break.

With both sides engaged in a torrid battle at the breakdown there was little flair on display and fans had to wait until well into the second half for the first clear-cut try-scoring opportunity, which Ireland butchered.

French lock Romain Taofifenua scored the only try of the match after 70 minutes but two more penalties had already made Ireland safe.

Joe Schmidt’s Ireland, the defending champions, have now won nine games in a row and host England, who are also unbeaten in this year’s tournament, in two weeks’ time.

And Schmidt will be buoyed that Sexton, flanker Sean O’Brien and prop Cian Healy, who were all returning after long injury lay-offs, came through a tough battle unscathed.

It was expected that giant French centre Mathieu Bastareaud would target Ireland fly-half Sexton, but it was Sexton who went looking for Bastareaud early on, bringing the Toulon man to a juddering halt and earning his side the put-in at the resulting scrum.

Tommy Bowe nearly latched on to diagonal kick from Sexton, but a penalty had already been awarded and the Racing Metro number 10 duly kicked the hosts into the lead.

France levelled the score through the boot of Clermont’s Camille Lopez, but two more Sexton penalties, after France twice infringed at the breakdown, gave Ireland a six-point lead.

Teddy Thomas, who had looked one of the liveliest of the French three-quarters, limped off shortly before half-time, before Lopez reduced Ireland’s lead to three points after Rory Best was penalised for being caught on the wrong side at a ruck.

But France’s indiscipline cost them again, allowing Sexton to pop over a simple penalty and make the score 12-6 to Ireland at the break.

It had been an attritional first half, more notable for the number of infringements and turnovers at the breakdown than any commitment to creativity or attacking verve.

Shortly after the restart, Ireland full-back Rob Kearney fielded a high kick in the French 22 and Sexton was clobbered by Bastareaud from the resulting attack. Having clashed heads, both players were led from the field, with Sexton replaced by Leinster’s Ian Madigan.

Madigan increased his side’s lead with his first attempt at goal and with France’s scrum also starting to creak, Ireland appeared heavy favourites with 30 minutes to go.

Both sides lost a man to the sin bin, while Sexton, who returned to the fray after 55 minutes, should have set up his side’s first try, but centre Jared Payne was unable to gather the fly-half’s fiery short pass.

Sexton slotted his fifth penalty before replacement lock Taofifenua touched down unopposed after the visitors, despite making handling error after handling error, eventually found a way through Ireland’s defence.

With replacement prop Vincent Debaty making his presence felt up front, France gradually improved as the second half wore on and at least attempted to put width on the ball in the final stages, but despite a late assault they were unable to deny Ireland victory.

Defending Six Nations champions Ireland made a winning start to the 2015 campaign, but will need to improve drastically on their performance against Italy if they are to repeat last year’s success.

Ian Keatley landed three penalties from three attempts in a first half that saw both teams struggle to string any flowing play together. Only a Kelly Haimona penalty as time expired prevented Italy from being shutout in the first half on home turf.

However, the sin-binning of Leonardo Ghiraldini proved the catalyst for Ireland to finally make their overall superiority pay. First Conor Murray scurried over from a ruck for the first try of the match and then Tommy O’Donnell – a late replacement for Sean O’Brien who pulled a hamstring in the warm-up – burst free from 45 metres to pull Ireland clear once and for all.

Italy were denied a consolation try after the TMO ruled that Sergio Parisse had knocked on in the build-up to Kelly Haimona’s touchdown.

Keatley made his overdue Six Nations debut as Ireland took on Italy in Rome. The 27-year-old fly-half deputised for British and Irish Lions playmaker Johnny Sexton, who will return to face France in Dublin next weekend after a 12-week concussion lay-off.

Italy had back-row agitators Sergio Parisse and Alessandro Zanni back in tandem, with New Zealand-born fly-half Kelly Haimona leading the line.

Flanker O’Brien pulled out of Ireland’s line-up in the warm-up just minutes before kick-off, nursing his hamstring. The luckless Leinster man’s injury problems rumble on: the 27-year-old has still not featured in Test action since November 2013. O’Brien had ice strapped to his left hamstring as he took to the bench to watch the match.

Italy proved the architects of their own discomfort right from the off, Matias Aguero penalised for slipping his bind at the scrum.

George Biagi’s cheap knock-on gifted Ireland field position, and a pointless midfield offside allowed Keatley to open the scoring from the tee.

Jack McGrath atoned for conceding a scrum penalty by winning a fine choke-tackle turnover, in tandem with Peter O’Mahony.

Munster fly-half Keatley endured a mixed opening quarter, slotting his penalty calmly, but throwing a loose pass and also being charged down by Michele Campagnaro.

For all their possession however, Ireland lacked any spark. Joe Schmidt’s men fought hard for fluency, but settled instead for stoic territorial control.

Keatley had to scamper to retrieve a loose miss-pass from Murray, while Robbie Henshaw knocked on out wide.

Ireland drove close from a lineout maul, but Tommy Bowe could not tap Murray’s deft chip back inside with enough space for the scrum-half to wriggle home. The visitors had to settle instead for Keatley’s third penalty of the afternoon.

Italy then set up camp in Ireland’s 22 but after one driving maul Kelly Haimona opted to strike at goal. The New Zealand-born fly-half landed the goal to cut Italy’s deficit to six points at the break.

Ireland started the second half searching for some kind of fuel injection, but still their attack misfired.

Keatley produced a neat half-break on the blindside, only to force an attempted final pass. Campagnaro knocked on trying to intercept, allowing Ireland a quick wipe of the brow.

Keatley almost cut the line again in Italy’s 22, but Parisse produced a fine ruck steal to ease the pressure.

Payne and Henshaw noticeably picked up the pace after the break, but again Ireland turned to Keatley’s boot to extend their lead to 12-3.

Ireland dispensed with posting penalties, instead going for the jugular just past the hour, punting to the corner for an attacking line-out.

Leonardo Ghiraldini spoiled Ireland’s maul from an offside position and was duly sin-binned for his troubles.

Ireland went straight for the lineout once more and finally broke the try deadlock. Murray wriggled home after the pack drove to the whitewash, with Keatley converting for a 19-3 lead.

No sooner had Ireland scored than boss Joe Schmidt brought off Keatley, Paul O’Connell and Peter O’Mahoney, no doubt with one eye on next weekend’s France clash. Tommy O’Donnell then raced through Italy’s porous midfield to rubber-stamp Ireland’s victory.

Ian Madigan slotted the conversion to add gloss to the scoreline, but Ireland were unable to maintain that momentum once Italy were restored to full complement.

Italy’s rally forced Ireland to defend with zeal and composure at the death when Schmidt’s men would sooner have been attempting to boost their points-difference tally.

Andrea Manici’s sloppy spilled ball dented Italy’s momentum before Haimona had a try ruled out for the slightest of knock-ons from Parisse.